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Chapter 72
A two-story log cabin stood deep within the forest on the western outskirts of the capital.
This was the Witch Institute, where witches gathered and lived together.
The Great Witch Lilith, leader of all witches, resided here while raising and educating newly born witches.
Most witches who grew up in the Witch Institute had been abandoned by their parents. Parents like the Winterpool couple, who had accepted their witch daughter without hesitation, were exceedingly rare.
In any case, with more than a dozen witches living together, vast fields of rare herbs needed for potion-making spread throughout the surrounding area.
Whenever Amel needed herbs, she would occasionally stop by and secretly pull up a few plants herself.
Not that anyone minded.
Thanks to the enormous financial support her family provided to the Witch Institute, everyone there was usually more concerned about not being able to spoil Amel enough.
“I don’t know why this year’s harvest is so poor. Did we really get that little rain?”
Under the dim moonlight, a woman with black hair so long it nearly dragged across the ground rummaged through the herb fields.
“Hm?”
Her gaze suddenly fixed on something.
A shadow descending toward the ground was becoming clearer and clearer.
The woman looked up.
“Master!”
Her disciple, riding a broomstick, was slowly gliding through the air.
“Amel!”
Recognition lit up Lilith’s face.
The moment Amel landed lightly on the ground, she rushed straight toward her.
Caught off guard, Lilith wrapped her arms around her disciple and immediately pinched and stretched her soft cheeks.
“You little rascal. What happened that made you come rushing over in the middle of the night?”
“I’ll tell you once we’re inside. Ah, can I take some potions too?”
“When have you ever asked before taking them? Do as you like.”
After straightening her clothes, Lilith gracefully turned and walked away.
Amel followed her into the Witch Institute.
“Lady Lilith, you’ve already come back— Oh my, Amelie?”
“What? Amelie’s here?”
The witches lingering near the entrance were startled by Amel’s sudden appearance.
As she hurried past, Amel simply waved a hand in greeting.
“Leraje, Ronove. Long time no see.”
“Why has it been so long? Since you’re here, why don’t you stay and rest for a whole week?”
Leraje said while practically drooling.
Even after joining noble society, Amel occasionally visited the Witch Institute to spend her vacations there.
Whenever she did, Count Winterpool’s support somehow became even more generous than usual.
Lilith, who was opening the door leading to her workshop, looked dumbfounded at Leraje’s transparent ulterior motives.
“Stop talking nonsense and go clean your room.”
“Ehhh, that’s so mean.”
With a creak, the wooden door opened.
Holding a lantern, Lilith led the way downstairs.
Amel carefully followed behind, making sure not to step on her master’s absurdly long hair.
Stopping before a massive stone door, Lilith lightly pricked her finger with a thorn ring and let a drop of blood fall.
The spell circle engraved on the door glowed faintly.
Then the heavy stone door slowly opened.
That was how witches secured their personal workshops.
Amel quickly slipped inside before the giant door closed again.
Lilith hung up her lantern, illuminating the room.
“Wooow.”
Entranced, Amel approached a display cabinet.
Inside the glass shelves, colorful potion bottles were neatly arranged.
Among them sat the love potion that Amel had failed to brew previously.
“What should I give you? I can’t spare too much.”
“Muscle Enhancement Potion and Poison Potion. Ah, and Defense or Healing Potions too, if you have any.”
Amel immediately listed everything she wanted.
“You only pick the expensive ones.”
“Hehe.”
Though grumbling, Lilith gathered the requested potions.
“Here. I threw in a Thornbush Potion and a Flame Potion too since we have plenty left over.”
“Wow! Thank you!”
Amel excitedly accepted the potions.
Then she paused.
“There isn’t any Healing Potion?”
“We’re out of stock. The others only have one emergency bottle each right now. These days, even when I visit the market, I can’t find any Stone Honey.”
“Stone Honey?”
Stone Honey was honey gathered by stone bees, which built their hives in cracks between rocks.
It was an essential ingredient for Healing Potions and couldn’t be substituted with ordinary honey.
“Mm-hmm. I don’t know what’s going on. If you hear anything from nearby merchant groups or from the Count, would you ask around for me?”
“Ah, okay. I’ll keep it in mind.”
Nodding, Amel stored the potions in her pocket.
Watching her, Lilith suddenly felt playful.
“Don’t need this one?”
“Huh?”
Amel turned toward her.
In Lilith’s hand was a pink, shimmering Love Potion.
But Amel merely chuckled.
“I don’t need it anymore.”
“Oh? Sounds like there’s been some progress. Or wait—don’t tell me what you wanted to discuss is actually relationship advice?”
“Ah, not exactly… though I guess this is a good opportunity to explain what’s been going on.”
As Amel’s expression darkened, Lilith also abandoned her teasing smile.
“In truth, during the subjugation, I ended up alone with the Crown Prince. Then one of the other members of the subjugation force…”
Amel proceeded to explain in detail the incident in which she had nearly been framed for attempting to assassinate the Crown Prince.
After quietly digesting the story, Lilith finally spoke.
“So isn’t it over already? What’s the problem?”
“Huh?”
“The Grand Duke of Bellerophon said he’ll vouch for you, and the Crown Prince doesn’t seem likely to make any foolish judgments. Won’t that knight simply be punished and that’ll be the end of it? You seem perfectly safe.”
“That may be true, but… I can’t shake this feeling. This is way too serious to be the work of a mere Imperial Knight! What if I’m being dragged along as part of someone else’s scheme? I…”
The calm in her red eyes wavered.
Although Amel acted independently, the consequences of her actions affected far more people than herself.
Everything had gone well until now.
But faced with a situation like this, the weight of responsibility began to crush her.
“Amel.”
Her teacher looked directly into her eyes without the slightest tremor.
“Do you know what I heard the day before yesterday when I briefly visited the marketplace in Barbate?”
“…What?”
Amel looked puzzled by the sudden change of subject.
“At first I thought I’d heard wrong. They looked like maids serving some noble household. There were several of them talking together.”
Lilith smiled faintly.
“They were saying that the Witch of Winterpool saved someone’s life.”
“What?!”
Amel looked utterly confused.
I saved someone’s life?
Of course, there had been her accomplishments in Bellerophon Territory and the time she had protected Cristan from assassins.
But the former wasn’t known in the capital, and the latter was confidential.
Then what story was spreading?
“I got curious too, so I listened. Apparently, a cook working at a noble estate recently collapsed from carbon monoxide poisoning. While his life hung in the balance, the young lady of that house happened to have some potion made by a witch. They gave it to him, and he recovered completely.”
“Really…?”
“The way those maids praised you was unbelievable. I was almost embarrassed… No, actually, I felt proud.”
“…”
Hearing the story, Amel immediately remembered the Healing Potions she had distributed at Kiara Esmeralda’s tea party.
To be honest, she’d wondered afterward whether she should have handed them out at all.
And when she’d just heard that Stone Honey was becoming scarce, she’d even briefly considered tracking everyone down and taking the potions back.
But…
“They wouldn’t be praising you for potions bought on the black market or extorted from someone. You handed them out yourself, didn’t you?”
“Yes…”
“Then you did well. You saved a life and improved the reputation of witches. Good job.”
“…”
Amel said nothing.
Lilith, who had been casually praising her, glanced at her disciple and then opened her arms.
Amel immediately drifted into them as though pulled by a magnet.
“Am I really that admirable?”
“Of course. I’ve raised many disciples over the sixty-plus years I’ve lived, but I’ve never had one as admirable as you.”
“Master…”
Her voice trembled slightly with emotion.
Unable to continue speaking, Amel simply buried herself deeper into Lilith’s embrace.
Lilith gently stroked her hair with her beautifully decorated, pointed fingertips.
“Based on what you’ve told me, if the Grand Duke of Bellerophon could see us right now, he’d be incredibly jealous.”
Yet she didn’t stop stroking Amel’s hair.
After all, this was a different kind of affection—one that even the Grand Duke could never provide.
